Plaster bandage



PLASTER BANDAGE Filed Nov. '14, 1951 IN vENTo I? TEAN, EDounRD, EMILE nnncmvmer Patented Got. 26, 1954 UNITED STATS ATENT OFFICE PLASTER BANDAGE Application November 14, 1951, Serial No. 256,340

Claims priority, application France November 22, 1950 2 Claims.

Plastered bands in use at present for the setting of fractures, consist of a fiat fabric which is impregnated with plaster at the time of use or before. The plaster adheres poorly to the fabric. Attempts were made to obviate this drawback by securing the plaster on the fabric by means of a nonaqueous glue. This method, however, increases the cost price of the band and does not allow the building up of the reinforced zones and splints of the plaster apparatus to the necessary thicknesses.

The object of the present invention is to provide a plastered band of a moderate cost price, which does not offer the above drawbacks.

In accordance with the invention, moulding plaster is enclosed inside a tube formed of a fabric, the meshes of which are sufficiently small to hold the plaster satisfactorily, but sufficiently Wide to allow the watering of the plaster and, if necessary, the mutual adherence of two adjacent tube elements through the plaster itself after its setting.

Good results were obtained with fabrics comprising 18 warp and 18 weft yarns per centimeter.

As will be seen in the drawing (Figures 2 and 4 are sections along line 11-11 of Figure l, of three embodiments of a band in accordance with the present invention and shown in Figure 1. References (1 and b designate the fabric and plaster respectively and reference seams or ties), the section of the tube formed by the fabric a is not necessarily round as shown in Figure 2 and may be for instance of a fiat shape, and particularly rectangular as shown in Figure 3.

To avoid too great a length for the tube necessary for covering the portion of the body to be immobilized, the band may be manufactured by a juxtaposition and binding of two or more tubular elements. An element may also be manufactured, with a width greater than its.

thickness, divided into sections by seams c or the like, as shown in Figure 4 or an interlinking of weft yarns during weaving, so as to avoid, before using, too large a displacement of the plaster within one section.

For utilizing the object of the invention, it is sufiicient to dip it in water and to wrap it about the portion of the body to be immobilized, taking care to press the turns tighly against one another so that they become firmly united together by the setting of the plaster in two adjacent turns. A plaster apparatus of a regular shape is thus obtained without any uncleanliness.

Instead of wrapping the elements about a broken arm, for instance, they may be placed along the arm, like splints. These elements are juxtaposed or not and are held in position, for instance, by an ordinary surgical bandage. When the plaster sets, the juxtaposed elements become bound together.

It should be noted that the plaster casts obtained in accordance with either method are light and strong and the removal of the plaster is easily obtained by cutting between two tubes.

The present invention covers not only the band itself, but also the orthopaedic, surgical apparatus and the like, formed, for instance, with adjacent turns of a tubular element consisting of plaster enclosed inside a fabric.

I claim:

'1. A bandage comprising, in combination, an elongated bag of flexible material; seams in said elongated bag extending longitudinally thereof and dividing said bag into at least two elongated compartments; and a plaster filling in said elongated compartments of said bag, whereby upon hardening of said plaster filling a rigid bandage of uniform cross-section along its length is provided.

2. A bandage, comprising, in combination, an elongated bag of flexible mesh material having a mesh of approximately 18 warp and 18 weft yarns per centimeter and being such as to hold plaster and to allow passage of water therethrough; seams in said elongated bag extending longitudinally thereof and dividing said bag into at least two elongated compartments; and a plaster filling in said elongated compartments of said bag, whereby upon hardening of said plaster filling a rigid bandage of uniform crosssection along its length is provided, and whereby adjacent turns of said elongated bag may be mutually bound by the setting of said plaster filling.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 283,478 Furman Aug. 21, 1883 722,456 Reeves Mar. 10, 1903 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 900,836 France Oct. 16, 1944 

